25 June 2009

For years the two countries of Canada and the United States have collaborated and lived side by side peacefully. Our neighbouring countries are vibrant, colourful and filled with progressive people sharing similarities in cultural diversity as well as being proud of their differences. One thing we do have in common is our love of varied cuisines developed over years of being a "melting pot" for different nationalities and cooking styles.

Ultimately their love of food, blogging and their commitment to a health conscious lifestyle is what has brought 5 ladies; 2 from Canada and 3 from the United States ( joining east and west and north and south), together to create the very 1st ever Virtual Supper Club sponsored by Cooking Light magazine!!! We have always had a love for Cooking Light magazine which has an emphasis on healthy eating and living. Each issue covers light cuisine and includes more than 70 delicious and flavourful recipes. It also explores food and nutrition news as well as fitness, health and beauty.

Let's introduce you to the 5 woman who have opened up their hearts and their kitchens and become members of the Virtual Supper Club to share recipes from the pages of Cooking Light. The idea is simple because we all share a common interest in cooking and meal planning and of course the food...oh the food!!! This is a team effort where we will be getting together virtually and combining what Cooking Light readers like best...good food with great company!!! We will also be featured on the Cooking Light web site as well as sharing their fantastic recipes with you all!!!!!!

A stay-at-home mom of three (20-18-15), loves to cook and bake. Has lived in seven provinces and now resides on Vancouver Island. Has been a fan of Cooking Light for more than 15 yrs now. Spends lot's of time with her family enjoying sports, camping, travelling, hiking, skiing and making sure she feeds them with fresh home cooked meals.

A single mom living in British Columbia, Canada of an almost 22 year old university student, who juggles a full time job and 2 part time jobs; as well as being the co-founder of BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine (a group of food bloggers raising funds for the School Meals Programme). How does she manage to fit a healthy lifestyle and exercise into her daily routine....by having 3 hour lunchbreaks!!!

Mom of two young men and wife to the infamous Grumpy living between the Adirondack and 1000 Island region in Northern New York. Inspired by her Grandmother, she started her blog as a record of memories and recipes and it gradually brought forth a passion for photography and writing along with a whole new world of internet blogging friends! She satisfys her "need" to bake by feeding the "starving" college students and staff at her place of employment and recently started a venture called HoneyB's Kitchen.

Aggie is a Florida gal who loves to eat good food...and feel good eating it. She is a stay at home mom to two young energetic children and has a husband who loves food almost as much as she does. Nothing makes her happier than feeding her family and friends.

Married nearly 18 years to her Greek/Italian husband and mom to "tween" twin daughters. She lives in a coastal, military town in the Panhandle (the arm) of Florida and works part-time for a financial institution. She started her food blog 2 months ago through the encouragement of her sister-in-law, Aggie, who is also part of this group. She enjoys trying and sharing new recipes as well as teaching her daughters the basics and joy of cooking.

For our very first Virtual Supper Club get together we decided on a barbecue with a mixture of cuisines as diverse as our nations. What better way to kickstart our monthly suppers than to beat the heat and put together a delicious meal from the pages of Cooking Light !!! All across Canada and the United States communities will be celebrating this coming week with Canada Day on July 1st as well as Independance Day on July 4th in the United States. From the Atlantic to the Pacific our communities and families will be bursting with national pride and celebrating with outings, picnics, barbecues, fireworks and celebrations of the birth of our individual nations. We wave flags, sing songs and enjoy the day!

Although distance prevents us from gathering as a group in each others homes we have enjoyed getting to know one another and have developed a menu from Cooking Light magazine that is sure to bring smiles to your own table of friends and family during these holidays or anytime of the year. Join us here on this journey on our individual blogs and also on the Cooking Light web site on Friday July 26, 2009 as we celebrate Cooking Light magazine, friendship and the launch of the Virtual Supper Club !!

Read the article HERE. We will be getting together once a month with Cooking Light so hold on to your hats!!!! Delicious recipes are coming your way!!!!!

The great thing about eating light is that you can still love your food and not give up any of the flavour... just focus on loving food that’s good for you. People like us who really adore food and flavour have a much better chance of eating well, and healthily, and enjoying every minute of it!!!

Since the ladies and I are celebrating both our Canadian and American ties what better way than to use some of our local ingredients. Living in British Columbia we have a natural resource of farmed salmon as well as wild salmon of different varieties. Eastern Canada of course is the land of maple syrup, so when you combine the two you get an east meets west marriage of two very Canadian flavours. What better way to celebrate!!!! The sweet and sour marinade for this salmon dish is cooked down to a syrupy glaze that's brushed on the fish as it cooks. I was thinking that the citrus and maple flavors would also be tasty with pork. Garnish fillets with orange slices, if desired. Here you will find the recipe forMaple Grilled Salmon on the Cooking Light web site.

The other ladies have been busy cooking up a storm from the pages of the magazine. To see what they have in store for you for our patriotic barbecue take the time to visit. To accompany the Maple Grilled Salmon Jamie teases us with a delicious accompaniment of Charred Corn Relish; Shelby has introduced us to a delightful Curried Chicken Salad with Nectarines, Aggie put together a delectable Spinach Salad with Stone Fruits and Maple Spiced Pecans...and for the "piece de resistance" Helene has whipped up Cool, Creamy Chocolate Dessert. ENJOY!!!!

See you next month with more from our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club!!

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

I LOVE maple grilled salmon. This looks like a lovely idea. I've always wanted to start an UNvirtual Cooking Light supper club in my own area... sigh. I am in the land of busy-ness (not so much me, well, yeah, me, but it's also a "culture" here to be overly busy).

I love reading your posts Val, you have great writing skills. I'm excited that we finally had a chance to chat and be part of this Virtual Supper Club. Great picture and your salmon looks so yummy and healthy.

Neat idea Val -- you participate in all the greatest events in the blog world. I'm sure maple salmon would be great. It alsod doesn't hurt that I have a bunch of maple syrup leftover from the wedding -- it was my giveaway.

I just made a version of your arugula meatballs using bison meat. They were OK. I think the arugula was a bit overpowered by the strong taste of the bison, but I wanted to thank you for giving me the idea!

What a coincidence Val, I posted in my blog yesterday that my husband gain extra pounds after our marriage and I am started to development some light recipes.I love the idea and I'll be in tune. The salmon looks delicious

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My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 9 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.